The Rocks of Sharon seemingly gained its name around the early 1900s. To get away from the city, Spokanites would head out of town on the electric railroad for weekend picnics. One stop on the railway between Spokane and Pullman was at the Sharon store south of Krell Mountain. Weekend picnickers would get off at the Sharon store stop and hike up the mountain and into the rocks for a day trip. The railroad and store are long gone. The name, Sharon, remains.
From the trailhead on the south end of the conservation area, it is a walk of about two-thirds of a mile to the base of Big Rock. Big Rock protrudes about 100 feet from the ground and it is big!
With an elevation change of about 800 feet and gradients of up to 34%, the last trek up to the base of Big Rock is steep. Very steep! The area is honeycombed with trails so a direct assault upon Big Rock is not necessary. Less strenuous options to reach the peak are available.
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| Steep hike to Big Rock |
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| Almost to base of Big Rock |
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| Big Rock |
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| Nancy and Kona resting after the climb |
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| Hole in the wall |
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| Views of the Palouse looking south |
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| Big Rock with Palouse in the distance |
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| More rock outcroppings |
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| Another view of Big Rock |
Note: Blogger is playing games with some photos. Photos may appear as missing when viewed from select platforms. When I view as a webpage on either pc or iPhone, the images appear. When viewed from a mobile version (iPhone or iPad), some images are missing. Google support is aware of the problem and is working on a fix. See https://support.google.com/blogger/thread/40768994?hl=en.
Hopefully this will be corrected soon...
That's a big rock Jonathan. Good hiking country you have there.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful hiking country, for sure!
DeleteBeautiful area and lovely weather, Jonathan. At first I mistakenly thought you wrote Sharon Stone, instead of Sharon store. I thought maybe a connection with the actress. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely day. Friday will be more of the same only a bit warmer. Funny about your misread. Perhaps there should be a petition to change the name "Sharon Stones?"
DeleteThanks for sharing Jonathan a beautiful location, sadly our lockdown is precluding walking unless from the front door. But weather has been kind and a day off work meant I could get back out on my bike in the Eden valley very nice today. Rough walking a true test of the ankle so be careful
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed another distraction, Matt! It is helpful to throw in some off-wargaming topics intermittently. I always enjoy seeing other gamers' local surroundings especially your travels and cycling excursions. Will you be showing photos from your Eden Valley ride?
DeleteYou are quite right about the ankle. I need to remain vigilant. The descent off the mountain yesterday was at times treacherous. I had brief visions of a return to urgent care more than once on the steep descent.
What a lovely walk for you and your good lady. The views and countryside are wonderful. As others have said, be careful with your ankle and hope the swelling eases come the morning. Ice, compression and elevation should help.
ReplyDeleteIt was a beautiful day for a hike. The views from the summit are spectacular. Proper caring of the ankle is always in mind.
DeleteBeautiful views. We have a crag at the back of Warton with stunning views towards the Lake District and Morecambe Bay and people go up there every day. Sadly I always find it closed when I go (wink).
ReplyDeleteAlways closed? Surely, there must be some mistake!
DeleteYou ought to climb the mountain some day and send back photos.
Looks a beautiful place!
ReplyDeleteIt is and practically in my backyard.
DeleteVery nice, and one of those rocks has an almost Easter-Island look to it from the angle you took the picture, third from the bottom. It almost looks as though it is standing guard.
ReplyDeleteLawrence, the backside of this rock DOES look like an Easter Island Moai. No carvings on these monoliths, though, besides some rock climbing hardware. Many of these rocks do appear to be standing guard.
DeleteGood eye!
Thanks for sharing Jonathon and your comments about of wargaming posts is duly noted...I might have the theme for my next post! In New Zealand, that type of activity is no longer permitted under our very strict level 4 lockdown...some people are unhappy we have gone this far, but in a country of 5 million, we have less than 2000 confirmed cases and only a handful in hospital with less than ten deaths. Later this week, the govt is likely to drop us down to level 3
ReplyDeleteGood that the occasional non-wargaming content meets with your approval! Like switching projects at the painting desk, it is good to introduce some variety into the posts. I am sure one can only see so many stands of Assyrians parading off the desk before getting bored. I look forward to seeing what you post in response.
DeleteNew Zealand has been fortunate not to be hit as severely as other parts of the world. The USA has been hit especially hard with some regions experiencing much more of the force of this storm than others.
Stay well, Keith!
Oh wow! That is some wonderful scenery indeed! Good to see that your ankle withstood the rigours of a rugged hike even if with some consequence. Next hike will be even better!
ReplyDeleteThe rocks are striking as are the views from the top. Ankle held up well and cycling today proved all parts remain in working order.
DeleteStunning scenery Jonathan and a good test of your ankle. Fortunately it seems you did no damage.
ReplyDeleteFortunately no more damage than I already caused back in January. With many activities and gatherings stopped, it is important that outdoor activities are still allowed either solo or with housemates.
DeleteLooks like a great hike. It stood out for me that there were no people in your pictures. Here in NY there's serious consideration of closing the State Parks, all local and county parks are closed here, due to the over crowding and inability of people keeping distance.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting.
It was a good hike. While there are miles and miles of trails in the area, we stuck to the trail up to the rocks and then walked around the summit. There were no people in the photos because traffic was very light. We saw only three other small, groups in the area among the big boulders. Even when groups passed, one group would move well off the trail to allow a safe passing distance. We have been taking socially distancing seriously out in the Northwest.
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the post!
Beautiful areas! Thank You for photos!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome!
DeleteSplendid pictures Jonathan, looks great!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback, Phil!
DeleteLovely photos! I'm only out walking the dog once a day due to lockdown, super scenery on your doorstep!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Super scenery is not too far removed from here. With luck, you may be able to move about more freely soon.
DeleteBeautiful scenery Jonathan...
ReplyDeleteI’ve almost forgotten what outside looks like... though I am fortunate in having a little garden to sit in... when it’s not raining of course...
All the best. Aly
Aly, you can get a glimpse of the outside world through my photos!
DeleteFortunately all of your gorgeous photos came up fopr me, but I have noticed issues with other bloghs images in the past day or two. We went for a 3 mikle hikle in the local preserves yesterday, although hardly a beautiful day, and encountered only one other group briefly, and again distance was kept through the brief passage of lines.
ReplyDeleteI suspect "Rocks of Sharon" may also be a bit of a play on words on "Rose of Sharon", a common beachside flower.
I wonder if these formations are basalt, and the remains of upward flows of moltemn rock through softer layers above, exposed as those were eroded.
It’s a welcome confirmation that the photos have not gone AWOL. I have had to reload a few of them today. Hopefully, Google can get this figured out and resolved soon.
DeleteGlad to see you found time to enjoy a relaxing walk. Most here are keeping their distance but I sense pressure building to put an end to this self-isolation.
While the region is built upon massive basalt formations, these boulders look like granite but I am no geologist. You are right about erosion. When Lake Missoula burst during the ice age and flooded Eastern Washington, it took away a lot of the softer material. These boulders were likely left exposed in its wake.
I looked them up, and they are indeed Granite. No question the isolation is very difficult emotionally and especially economically. The problem is that the evidence now suggests that the earliest cases arriving from China happened as early as January... and in barely 2 months we had a disaster in New York City. There are far, far more cases across the US now, and if we relax too much and too soon, especially without adequate Public Health capacity to test and track cases, the number of infections will mushroom again, and that will overwhelm the health care system. If that happens, the mortality rate will soar, as it did in Italy. It is still a struggle to keep adequate protective gear on hand, and especially enough nursing staff. We have patinets accumulating in the hospital who could be discharged to a nursing home for short term rehab, but most aren't taking new patients as they are having their own Covid outbreaks, which are especially deadly in their highly vulnerable populations.
DeleteAs a physician, what would be your criteria and timeline for gradually reopening society?
DeleteAfter being an early epicenter for the outbreak, Washington State has stabilized with daily new cases drastically reduced. Spokane County, with a population of over 500K (where I live), is still under 300 total cases.
Stunning scenery to walk in. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Ross
You’re welcome!
DeleteI read the title and was convinced that you were in Israel...
ReplyDeleteSome great views of the Palouse in those pics :)
There are some great views from the high ground, for sure. Israel? Maybe one day I will make the trip. Hope to visit Petra.
DeleteWow, 40 years in the area and I have never seen this place. Thanks for sharing, I will add it to my hiking list.
ReplyDeleteI have heard of the place but never visited before now. I should not have waited so long. Add it to your hiking list. There are many miles of trails in the conservation area.
DeleteI have never been over there. It looks very nice. Over here WNW of Spokane and out our back door we have around 4 miles of trails up Holmes Canyon and up to Stony Peak. From the top of Stony we can see Spokane, Mt Spokane, the west hills, Lake Spokane, etc. Not too far away is the Bowl and Pitcher, but I believe it is still closed with the rest of the parks.
ReplyDeleteI have never ventured to Holmes Canyon or Stony Peak. I cycle up Mt. Spokane at least annually. The views from the top are amazing. I guess I need to get out more! Thanks for the suggestions.
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